Contaminants, such as dirt, fertilizer, fungicide, pesticide, feces, mold, insect, bacteria and microbial pathogens can be the cause of disagreeable taste in raw fruits and vegetables and often cause illness and sometimes fatalities. Therefore, the prevention or elimination of contamination of food products by pathogenic microorganisms is important to protect public health. Recent fatal outbreaks of Escherichia coli infection following ingestion of infected food (e.g., peanut butter) have publicized the severity of this public health problem. Many pathogenic microorganisms can be transmitted to food, such as fresh produce, during harvesting, preparation or handling. Moreover, fruits and vegetables are often handled by numerous people (from agricultural workers to consumers) in food distribution channels, which provides multiple opportunities for infection of the food with pathogens. Thus, microorganisms can accumulate at a variety of different points in a food manufacturing operation; the more points at which viable microorganisms can be controlled, the lower the chances of food contamination and the safer the manufacturing process.
Scientists and public health officials have sought to reduce the incidence of human infections from pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli (“E. coli”). Food products are a significant source of human infection by pathogens. Animal food products can become contaminated with bacterial food-borne pathogens as a result of exposure of the animal carcass to fecal matter. Likewise, fruits and vegetables can become contaminated by contact with pathogenic bacteria. The pathogens are then transmitted to humans during consumption of the contaminated food.
Antimicrobial agents have been used over the years to control or inhibit the growth of various microorganisms in various products and particularly food compositions. The increased use of antimicrobial agents has resulted in numerous pathogenic microorganisms developing new strains that are resistant to many of the commonly used antibacterial agents.
Thus, what is needed are compositions/antibacterial agents and methods that effectively inhibit, inactivate, kill or remove various pathogens (e.g., Salmonella) that cause foodborne infections (e.g., salmonellosis) from surfaces during food manufacturing processes. These pathogenic microorganisms can be present, e.g., on a topical surface of a human, on a surface of equipment used in the food industry, a food preparation surface (e.g., a cooking surface) or a food storage surface. Alternatively, the pathogenic microorganism can be present, e.g., on the surface of a food product (e.g., fruit or vegetable), either pre-harvest or post-harvest.